Top-Bar Beehives and Colony Collapse Disorder

Top bar beekeeping offers a solution to Colony Collapse Disorder PDF Print
by Will Gottlieb
Coastal Journal staff

BATH -- Christy Hemenway of Gold Star Alpacas in Bath is one of a number of beekeeping revolutionaries who are starting to change the way humans interact with bees. Her contribution to the beekeeping world is the Gold Star Top Bar Beehive Kit, which retails for $425 and is manufactured here locally.

According to Hemenway and beekeeping experts like P.J. Chandler, the need for change in beekeeping practices is crucial. Most people have heard of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which in recent years has offered North America the specter of a world without bees -- no bees, no flowers; no flowers, no vegetables, etc. A terrible thing to contemplate.

The chief suspect in the CCD chain is the Varroa mite, a parasite that weakens and sickens bees in various ways, and which is becoming more prevalent in hives in this country and elsewhere.

And the key to breaking that CCD chain, says Hemenway, is to change the way we house and nurture bees. In her own words:

“Let's start with what we call conventional beekeeping equipment, which is probably what you're conjuring up in your mind's eye when we're talking beehives. It's a white, rectangular with what they call frames in them. And the frames have a top bar and sides and a bottom. And what they put inside there in the bottom is a sheet of wax, which they call foundation. In a top bar hive, all you have is a top bar. It sits in a box with sloped sides. There's no foundation in it, the bees make all of their own wax.

“It's not aimed at forcing bees to make more honey than they normally would. Bees make honey anyway, as a matter of course. But a lot of conventional beekeeping is focused on honey production at all costs, whether to the bees or the beekeepers. And they end up using a lot of chemicals to treat for mites, as opposed to letting nature take its course and being healthy and treatment free, and keeping the whole thing in balance.

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“The reason top bar beekeeping is better than conventional beekeeping is the bees have to make their own wax. If they're not put on foundation, then they, the bees, make it the size they want it to be. It doesn't come already pre-impregnated with chemicals, which is something that has been going on for about 100 years with conventional hives.

“They put this wax foundation in, the bees draw that out, and then [the beekeepers] treat them for mites or other diseases. And the chemicals that they use -- which the mites have become resistant to, by now -- are wax-soluble, so they get into that wax, and that same wax is melted down and made into foundation again, so it comes to you already 'pre-treated' with a bunch of junk in it, and then they treat it again. And so what they end up doing is using, in essence, poisonous wax for bees to draw out, fill with honey and lay their eggs in. So we're asking them to use this poisoned, pre-printed wax.

“So a couple things go on when you do that. First of all, you have the obvious accumulation of chemicals. And a sub-lethal dose is one thing, but multiple copies of a sub-lethal dose are, apparently, building up and becoming harmful. The other thing that goes on with pre-printed foundation is, it's all one size. Whereas bees come in different sizes: Worker bees are little bitty girls, drones are bigger, chunkier guys. And when you look at a comb, you can definitely tell the difference between a worker cell and a drone. So what they're kind of causing to happen is, if you look at a printed foundation, they've all got hexagons on them that the bees try to draw out. And they're forcing all the bees to use all the same-size hexagons. The problem with the size their using is, A. they're all the same size, and B. the size they've pre-printed is not the size that a regular bee would make.

“So what happens is it increases the gestation period of bee larvae by one 24-hour period. And that 24-hour period is before the cell is capped over by the nurse bees, and that 24-hour period is when the Varroa mite gets in there just a little extra early and starts munching on that little guy before it even turns into a bee.”

In top-bar beekeeping, said Hemenway, none of the above applies. The bees are not over-treated, leading to resistant strains of parasites and diseases, and since the top-bar hive is “opened” only one stick at a time, they're not being stressed by being periodically exposed to smoke and then having the roof of their warm, cozy world removed to admit harsh light and cold air.

And there's good news for the beekeeper, who no longer has to lift 80 pounds of hive in order to accomplish basic maintainance -- and, oh yes, the beekeeper is exposed to fewer, less irate bees in the process. Very important for those of us who do not enjoy getting stung.

More Top-bar info.

Inside the Top-Bar beehives.

Here is what the Top-Bar hives look like on the inside. The bees draw their own comb down from the bars. There is a little strip of wood centered on the bar that helps them align the comb. The angle of the sides of the main body keep the bees from adhering the comb to the sides. There is a false back to the hive that moves forward and back to adjust the size of the interior as the honey flow fluctuates.

Types of bees: BUCKFAST bees.

When doing research for my first hive, I found out about the BUCKFAST bees. Read on.
Buckfast - Apis Mellifera: hybrid
The Buckfast hybrid was produced by Brother Adam of the Buckfast Abbey. Brother Adam crossed many races of bees (mainly Anatolians with Italians and Carniolans) in hopes of creating a superior breed. The results are what is now know as the Buckfast Bee. While the European variety of Buckfast are considered very gentle, the American variety is far more defensive.(I and other beekeepers i know have found this NOT to be true. i worked my hives for three years without even using a veil!!) There is a debate among beekeepers if this defensiveness is due to breeding for varroa resistance or partial hybridization with the AHB (Africanized Honey Bee) of the Buckfast line in America. The issues are further clouded in that the two leading American queen breeders are breeding for varroa resistance and are also located in AHB territory. AHB are usually considered by most experts to be more resistant to varroa than the European Honey Bee.

Here is more info about other breeds:
http://www.beekeepingstarterkit.com/page/1317490

You can order them from this awesome family business.
www.rweaver.com

Top-Bar Beehive

$150
This is the best beehive I've used. I kept bees in my back yard in downtown Boulder, Colorado, and this hive is perfect for an urban setting. It is easy to maintain and harvest honey from. You don't need all the expensive equipment like you do with the traditional Langstroth hives that we are familiar with. I would also be happy to help you source some bees and the small amount of other equipment that is needed. Bees are actually very easy to deal with and with this type of hive, its really easy to do as a hobby. It costs about $300 total (bees, hive, and beginner equipment) to get started. The bees come in the mail, and away you go. Honey by July.

Chicken Arc

$500-600 New Redwood design coming soon!
This is the portable model for up to 10 birds. Both ends open up to let birds out, the nesting boxes are above in the loft and are accessible by removing the panels. Two people can easily move the tractor around, giving the birds a fresh area to scratch and fertilize the ground at the same time. This coop is ideal for urban back yards or smaller spaces. It is fully self contained and portable.

10-20 Chicken coop

10-20 Chicken Coop

600$
This coop can hold up to twenty chickens. 5x5x8 feet. It has ten nesting boxes that are accessible from the outside back of the unit. The front opens wide for easy clean-out. The bottom is galvanized welded wire hardware cloth, which allows the droppings to fall through and be collected as fertilizer for the garden. There is a smaller version of this coop available, it holds 1-10 birds and costs 500$

Welcome to Boulder Cruz Coops and Hives

Hi you need a chicken coop or a top-bar bee hive, and were here to deliver one too you. We have three models of chicken coops and one top bar hive to choose from. We can also custom build a coop to suit your needs. We have used and tested every model in Colorado, Hawaii, and California with great results and happy animals. Thanks for having a look at our products, we hope to hear from you soon.